Drive to enrol out-of-school, dropout children

THE Department of School Education and Literacy under the Union Ministry of Education is set to launch a nationwide drive to identify and enrol out-ofschool and dropout children, as it gears up to achieve a target of 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2030.

- S LALITHA @New Dethi

The focus of this drive will be to get the children on board via the Open Schooling system.The Ministry of Education said that the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, has set a target of achieving 100 per cent GER from preschool to secondary level by 2030. However, according to the annual report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), 2023-24, nearly two crore children aged 14-18 years are not attending school, while around 11 per cent of children in Grades III to VIII remain out of school. Over 50 lakh students fail board examinations each year.

“Open schooling offers a practical alternative for children unable to attend regular schools due to economic, social, or geographical constraints,” the ministry added.